Week two, copyright law

Week two

Copyright law

In week two we looked briefly at copyright law; in particular the case between Prince vs. Cariou. The link to the case can be found here

My thoughts were as follows. This practice isn’t limited to the photography world, it’s also commonly seen in the music industry where one artist ‘borrows’ the work of another – think cover versions and sampling for example. Listen to Rihanna’s SOS and hear the same riff taken from Soft Cell’s Tainted Love. Whether or not she sought permission, I’m unsure.

My own work uses found photography, and always at the back of my mind are the ethical questions of ‘whose work was / is this?’ ; how might the family of the original feel if they saw my work ?’ Appropriation has been long – used in art.

Personally, I think that if the original artist is still living then where possible their permission should be sought to use their work. In the music industry, after the artist has been dead for 50 years it’s fair play.

Let’s talk business

Providing a mission statement for our discussions this week was difficult! By necessity it meant tidying up all the loose ends of my thinking and try to work out what it was exactly that I wanted to do, post degree. I am happy with my overall vision, but it definitely will be tweaked quite a lot as my work progresses and my ideas modify.

Mission statement

‘Name’ creates high quality bespoke personalised artwork for its clients; following a period of research and resourcing.

After an initial collaboration to involve the client providing objects such as old photographs and memorabilia, the artist creates a series of new photographs of a contemporary design, using the originals as stimuli.

Often the work involves independent research to uncover relevant historical information. This may involve genealogical research should the client wish this; as well as the sourcing of relevant artefacts to further aid design.

The result is a modern, unique product which celebrates and preserves the memory of family ancestry, or other histories.

The product

The product comes in the form of either a Photobook, or a series of prints. Each Photobook is individually designed and available for purchase solely by the client. In addition to photographs, the book may contain samples of other relevant memorabilia – examples of this could include tickets, flowers, text, and archives.

Historically, family photo albums have served to preserve the memories of our ancestors; however these become worn or damaged over time, with many of them being given to flea markets or sold at auction. This new product will enable family history to be remembered in a contemporary way.

Clients will be able to choose a selection of larger prints as an alternative to the book.

The market

Commissions will be made to order. Families who wish to have a bespoke familial item of art in their home would use this service.

Additionally, the hope would be to eventually create similar designs for places of specific cultural interest where arts councils or museums wish to celebrate or promote their heritage. An example to aspire to would be to produce such a piece for the city of Coventry as it becomes the next City of Culture.